Method of and machine for treating the edges of leather and like material.



S. KEATS.

METHOD OF AND MAGHINE POR TREATING THE EDGES OP LEATHEE AND LIKE MATERIAL.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 5, 1909.

946,8 4. Patented Jan. 18,1910.

NLITED sTATEsjP-ATENT OFFICE. ,i

SOCBATES KETS, OF LEIESTEB, ENGLAND, ASSGNOR TO FOBTUNA-WERKE, ALBERT HI RTH, 015' CANNSTATT STUTTG-ART, GERMANY.

- METHonor AND MACHINE ron TREATINGTHEEDGES MATERIAL'. i

OF LEATHER AND LIKE Speciflcation of Letters Patent. Pateited Jan. 18, 1910.

Application filed .Tune 5, 1909. Serial No. 500,386.

To all whom 'it may ooncern:

. Be it known that I, SooRA'rEs KEATS, a'

e subject of the King of Great Britain, citizen of Leicester, England, residing at Deacon street, Leicester, in the county of Leicester,

England, have invented new and useful provements in or 'Relating to the Method of and Machines for Treating the Edges of Leather andLikeMaterial, of which the following' is a specification. y a

This invention relates' to the method of and machines or apparatus for treating the edges .of leather and like material used in the nianufacture of boots and shoes.

The invention has particular reference to the treatment of the edges of material for boot and Shoe uppers and is concerned with the skiving and folding of the edges of the various sections such as leg quarters, Vamps, back uarters\ and like arts.. e

As s well known, lt s customary when making boot and shoe uppers, 'and especially the uppers for womens boots, to skive the edges of the material and afterward fold o'r turn over theskived edge previous to its being sewn to another 'part so that the-folded edge appears smooth and finished.

According to the method at present in Vogue, the edges of the sections are first skived in a machine and afterward turned or folded over either by a special machine or by hand. This folding over of the skived edge,

whether performed by a machine or hand,

requires skilful operation in orderto turn the.

edge over equally all along and roduce the desired even and perfectly folde edge.

The object of the present invention is to render 'this folding. operation capable of being performed without a machine ifdesired and such `a simple matter that it may be effected in a perfect manner by unskilled labor. In addition, a much neater andmore evenly folded edge may be produced accordin to this invention, and if desired, the thckness of the folded edge may be redu ced to a minimum while its smoothness and even appearance ^is preserved. V

The invention is carried into eifect by an ;improved means for skiving and method of folding the edge of upper material.

According-to this invention the edges of i the"material are skivedso that a shoulder,

ridge, 'groove or similar limiting mark is .produced along the material at the .part

. which is to' be folded, said limiting mark The formation of a groove on the inside of the material reduces the thickness at that part so that when the material is'folded or turned over along the groove, the outer folded edge will be of reduced thickness. a shoulder or ridge is' formed on the inside of the material the thinned skived edge is folded or turned over around the shoulder or projection. The groove, shoulder or limiting mark is formed in the material during When i the skiving operation by the employment of a suitably shaped presser foot. p J

- In order that the invention may be clearly and readily understood 'reference will be made in the following further description to the accompanying drawing, in which F igue 1 is a section of a piece of leather or like material the edge of which is skived and grooved accordin' to this invention,

preparatory to being olded. Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the same piece of material having its edge turned or folded over.-

Fig. 3 shows in section a piece of material havin its edge skived andformed with a shoul er thereon according to this invention preparatory to being folded. Fig; 4-

illustrates the same piece of material after its 'edge has been turned or folded over. Fig. 5 isan elevation showing a p'resser foot of a skiving machine adapted to produce a so p,

groove or channel in the material during the skiving operation. Fig. 6 is a similar View to Fig. 5 showin a presser foot adapted to produce a shoul er or ridge onthe material during the skiving'operaton.

- In the sections of material 1 shown m the accompanying drawing the edge to be turned over or folded is represented by This edge 2 is usually skived on the inside z. c.

on the underside of the material at 3 to re: .dnce the thickness of the 0 In addition to this reducton n-the thckpart to be folded.

ness of the edge to be fol-ded there is produced, according to this invention, and as previ'ously stated, a limiting mark which facilitates the`folding operation and also enables a neater and better folded edge to be obtained than has heretofore been possible' This limiting mark may be of any suitable formation-examples of. which are illustra'ted in the accompanying drawing where, in Fig. 1, a groove or channel 4 is produced in the skived unde'rside 3 of the edge 2, while in l `ig. 3 the limiting mark is in the form of a shoulder or ridge 5 on the underside of the material. 4

The preferred method is to produce a channel or 'groove 4 as shown in Fig. 1, said channel extending along the inside 3 of the material so that in the subsequent folding operation the material 1 will bend easily along the groove 4: and` fold over evenly along the line of said groove; In the formati'on of a' channel or groove, such as 4, on the inside of the material the thckness of the-said material at that part where the channel is located will obviously be reduced and when the edge 2' is folded or turned over along said groove the outer folded edge 6` at such part will be of a reduced thickness as shown in Fig. 2. When the edge 2 is folded in the manner just described it will not be bulky but may be made as thin and neat as desired by making a channel or groove of acorresponding depth to reduce the thickness of thematerial at that part which is to form the folded edge 6.

When itisnotdesired to produce a thin folded edge, such as the edge 6 in F ig. 2, a shoulder, ridge, or similar projection 5, Fig.

3, instead of a groove, may be formed along the 'skived face or underside 3 of the material 1 and in the subsequent folding operation the skived edge 2 is folded or turned over up to and around the shoulder or ridge 5, as shown in F ig. 4. a The thinner eXtrem-- ty of the skived edge 2 beyond the shoulder or ridge e. the part between the said shoulder and the raw edge of the material,

is easily bent or folded around the thickened part as shown in Fig. 4, the shoulder 5 limiting the extent to which the edge is folded or turned over and thus facilitatingv the production of an evenly folded edge.

It is obvious that when the material is prepared as just described for the folding operation, this latter may be readily accomplished by hand withotrequiring-skill to turn the edge over along the predetermined and marked lines, and that as the said material will bend more readily along the channeled or shoulderedlines than it will at the other unprepared pa'rts the result is that an evenly folded edge is produced.

Theformation of' the limiting marki. e. the channel, 'groove, shoulder or'the like is preferably formed' during the skiying' operation and for this purpose the presser foot of a skiving machine may be furnished on its under sde with a' projection or recess which corresponds to the shape of the desired limiting or folding mark on the material. For the production of a groove or channel, the presser foot is furnished with a projection which presses a ridge of the material out toward the knife, which latter, in skiying .the underside of the material fiat, skives the ridge off 'and results in the production of a part of reduced thickness thus formng the channel. To produce a shoulder on the material the presser foot is recessed and 'producesa thicker instead of a thinner part. t

In the 'examples illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 the invention is shown as being carried into effect on a skiving machine of the type having a rotary cylindrical knife, the cutting edge of which is represented by the line 7. The presser foot 8 and its supporting arm 9 are of the usual Construction and arrangement except that the presserfoot is furnished with means to bring' about. the production of the limiting mark on the material.

The presser footin Fig. 5 is adapted to produce a channel or groove such as 4 (Fig' 1) and for this purpose is furnished with a projection 10 on its operative face or underis pressed by the projection 10 and thusa channel isproduced on the inside of the material when the latter is straightened or flattene'd out as shown in Fig. 1.

The projection 10 is preferably in the form of a strip adjustably mounted in a 'groove 13 in the presser foot and held in place therein by a suitable screw 14. In the example shown in Fig. 6 the underside 11 of the presser foot 8 is recessed at 15 so that the material is left thicker at that part and produces a ridge or shoulder such as 5 (Fig. 3) whenthe skived edge is flattened out. x i

The invention is not confined to the .em-

. ployment of any particular type of skiving machine, neither is it restricted to theparticular forms of limiting marks herein described as it will be obvious that any de,- sired form of limiting mark may be produced on the inside of the material by shape ing the underface of the presser footof the' skving machine to correspond` to theshape or form of limiting mark required.

- What I 'claim then is z 1. In a skiving machine for treating the edges of leather andlike'material, a presser foot having an irregular pressing surface` for producing a mark along the ed es of material, such mark facilitating the fol ding of the edges. i v

2. In a machine for treating the edges of leather and like material, means for simultaneously skiving and producing along said .edges a limiting mark to facilitate the folding of said edges and the production of evenly folded edges and comprising a presser foot having a projecting portion on its pressing surface and a skiving knife.

,3. In a machine for treating the edges of le'ather and like material means for simultaneously skiving and producing alongsaid cdges a limitin mark to facilitate the `fo1d-' ing of said edges and the production of evenly folded edges of reduced thickness,

' said means comprisng a, rotary skiving knife and a presser foot having a' projection on its pressing surface.

4. In a skiving machine for treating the edges of leather and like material, the combinati'o' with the knife or cutter, of a presser foot having a projecting portion on its pressing surface to press the edges of material to the cutting edge of said knife`so that a limiting nark is formed along said` edges, su'bstantia'lly as and for the purpose described.

In a machine for treating the edges of.

having -on the operative face a shouldered hearing surface to press the material to be skived into contact With the knife or cutter so that a limitingmark is produced on said material, substantially in 'the manner as and for the purpose described.

In testimony Whereof I have signed my name 'to this .specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SOCRATES KEATS. VVitnesss:

J. W; C. TAYLOR, GEORGE LESTER. 

